{"text":[[{"start":8.35,"text":"Nissan has signed a deal with Chery to manufacture the Chinese group’s vehicles at its Sunderland facility in a move to secure the long-term future of the UK’s largest car plant."}],[{"start":19.1,"text":"Under a nonbinding memorandum of understanding announced on Wednesday, Nissan will aim to start producing Chery vehicles at Sunderland from next year. The talks between the two companies were first reported by the FT in April."}],[{"start":32.45,"text":"The struggling Japanese group disclosed last month that it would consolidate its two production lines at Sunderland into one and seek outside partners to boost the plant’s utilisation rate, which is hovering at about 50 per cent."}],[{"start":45.900000000000006,"text":"“This is an important step forward for our operations,” Massimiliano Messina, Nissan’s head of Europe, said in a statement on Wednesday."}],[{"start":54.400000000000006,"text":"Nissan is one of the largest automotive employers in the UK with about 6,000 workers in Sunderland, where the new Leaf electric vehicle is produced. The new electric Juke, which is expected to go on sale in 2027, will also be built at the facility."}],[{"start":69.75,"text":"But the UK plant’s future had been called into question by a massive restructuring programme at the group involving multiple factory shutdowns and 20,000 job cuts worldwide."}],[{"start":80.85,"text":"If the Chery deal goes through, it would mark a boost for broader UK manufacturing following longstanding government efforts to persuade Chinese carmakers to build cars in the country despite high energy costs."}],[{"start":93.94999999999999,"text":"The government has laid out ambitious plans for the country to produce 1.3mn vehicles annually by 2035, a target industry officials have warned would not be achieved without the help of Chinese brands expanding in the UK."}],[{"start":108.44999999999999,"text":"The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders expects about 824,000 units to be made in the country this year."}],[{"start":115.74999999999999,"text":"Chery, which owns the Omoda and Jaecoo brands as well as its eponymous marque, is the fastest-growing Chinese group in the UK, with a 6 per cent market share in the first four months of the year, according to the SMMT."}],[{"start":129,"text":"Other carmakers including Ford, Stellantis and Volkswagen have also had discussions over the past year with Chinese groups such as Geely and Xpeng regarding the use of idle capacity at European plants due to sluggish demand and high production costs."}],[{"start":152.3,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780550830_3344.mp3"}